For example, during the early years, the bones of kids develop and grow while also being depleted at the same time. If the consumption of calcium, Vitamin D and other required minerals are sufficient, the health of bones will be positive. If the consumption of required vitamins and minerals are less, the depletion of bones will soon take over resulting is much weaker bones and easy fractures. When sugar is consumed, as acid is released in the body. In order to balance this acid, calcium is extracted from the bones resulting in calcium deficient weaker bones. Vitamin D assists in absorption of Calcium by the bones. Consumption of sugar increases an enzyme that degrades vitamin D and thereby also results in reduced absorption of calcium by the bones. Double whammy!

Hence, following a nutritious diet from the early years not only keeps the present active but also ensures a dependable and disease-free future. Nutritious food for children has many benefits: improves mental health, stabilises energy, builds immunity and prepares body against diseases. You can easily develop healthy eating habits in your children from their childhood. This can be a best gift you can give them for their better tomorrow. Iyurved's products are based on this exact philosophy.

Mostly kids are picky eaters and their intake of food is limited to a chosen few. While parents prefer to arrange healthy food for kids, it is not always possible to feed them. The results is lack of nutrition in kids which directly hampers their growth.

The best solution in such a situation is to offer fortified foods in kids preferred formats like ready-to-eat chocolate spread or powder of vegetables hidden in a roti/pizza/pasta or an orange drink loaded with good enzymes and probiotics and several others. Foods can be fortified with vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, herbs, enzymes, probiotics etc for eyesight, brain, bones, muscle, digestion and immunity. The best foods for children’s growth cover all the necessary vitamins and minerals.

In order to feed essential nutrition to children, format of the food is very important. For example, a pizza can be far more nutritious than some popular breakfast cereals. When made with fortified veggie powder and savoury nut spread on a wholewheat base, this pizza now becomes a nutritious food for children. It can not only calm down kid’s hunger pangs but also give a dose of good fat, protein and vitamins. Similarly, fortified chocolate spread on a bread provides a child with essential nutrients for the brain as well as antioxidants for immunity. You can make healthy food for kids when you use the right ingredients which are fortified with essential herbs, vitamins and minerals.

Most commonly we hear parents say that their child is active and looking healthy too so there is not anything to worry about regarding nutrition. The most obvious response in defence to further questioning is ‘we also turned out fine without our parents worrying so much about nutrition when we were young’. Let’s understand this assumption closely.

Young and active cells: Kids have new and active cells which perform all the necessary tasks they are assigned. For example, hair cells have to maintain thick growth and pigment. They do their job well. Having said that, how soon will they start to show decay in quality depends on how well we are taking care of those cells. We need to protect our cells from free radical damage by feeding them the right nutrition they need for them to work many more years in their most active state. Or else we can see outcomes such as early hair loss or greying.

Less contaminated food: Compared to today’s times, food was far less contaminated earlier. The consumption was primarily local, fresh and seasonal without any unnecessary pesticides. This also kept the prices low and consumption up, adding to the daily nutrition.

Occasional consumption of processed food: Children nowadays have access to far more processed food than their parents. These are not only packed months ago, but also high in artificial additives, preservatives, sugar and sodium, all of which can work in damaging our body cells. At least two meals in a day (today) have some form of processed food on the dining table.

Real test is yet to come: When parents say that ‘they have turned out fine’- it is only partly relevant. The real test will come when we see the bones, muscles, other organs performing their best and original function in the old age. Weakening of bones in early thirties is a sign of mistreating our body with the wrong choice of food (and lifestyle etc). Early mensuration, reduced vision, high blood sugar are some other examples which are now happening early in life. Imagine sowing a mango seed. How many fruits will the tree bear will depend on the kind of soil, sunlight, manure and water that is supplied to the seed. However, the result will only show decades later. Similarly, what we feed out body today will only show many year later. The early years are most important as they lay the foundation of our bones and brain.